Closure for life-saving suits.



0. A. YOUNGREN.

CLOSURE FOR LIFE SAVING SUITS. APPLICATION men SEPT.27. 191s.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' 0. A. YOUNGREN. CLOSURE FOR LIFE SAVING suns.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPLZ]. l9|6| 1,241,598. I Patented Oct. 2,1917.

2 SHEET$SHEEY 2- v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR ANDREW YOUNGREN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL LIFE PRESERVERQOMPANY, OF SHERIDAN, WYOMING, A CORPORATION OF WYOMING.

sure opened.

CLOSURE FOR LIFE-SAVING SUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

Application filed September 27, 1916. Serial No. 122,419.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR A. YOUNGREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, New York county, and State of New York, have invented and discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Life-Saving Suits, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in life saving suits and consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the accompanying claims.

The invention has for its purpose to provide a closure for a life savlng suit, which will readily permit the wearer to apply or remove the suit from his body, and securely maintain the suit water-tight while the same is in actual use.

The invention is proposed as an improvement, or further development, of the life preserver disclosed in my co-pending application for U. S. Patent Serial No. 61,614 and dated Nov. 15, 1915.

The fpresent construction is disclosed by way 0 illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 shows the suit equipped with the closure,

Fig. 2 a central sectional view thereof, with parts in elevation,

Fig. 3 an enlarged sectional view of the closure frame in applied position,

Fig. 4 a bottom plan view of the closure frame,

gig. 5 an inverted front elevation thereof, an

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation Referring to the construction in further detail, the suit or garment 7 is constructed substantially as indicated in Fig. 1, being of one piece, and made of water-proof material, such as rubber cloth; and comprising leg portions 8, sleeves 9 and a shoulder por- 1 tion 10, as shown.

The buoyant substance consists of kapoc, or other approved material, suitably contained in pads 11 of appropriate thickness, and disposed at the back, the sides, and front of the garment after the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A turtle neck 12 is adapted to fit snugly about the neck of the wearer and prevent the entrance of any water into the garment showing the cloreferred to, and to which reference may be had for a more detailed description of these parts.

The suit is adapted to be fitted to the wearer through the opening extending from approximately the top of the shoulders down and across the front in a curved direction (see Fig. 1). The body portion of the suit at this opening is attached to a metal frame consisting of a single curved bar 13 that is secured to the garment by plplng, or in any other a proved manner, and a double and curved ar 14 is in like manner secured o the swinging portion 10 at the entrance opening. The frame or bar 14 has the material of the suit spread across the two parts thereof in the form of a web, and said frame is adapted to close down over the bar 13, and bring the latter in contact with said web between the members of the bar 14, and thereby form a completely watertight seal, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The members of the bar 14 are connected by bracing portions 15, and a pair of projecting members 16 form pivotal bearings for the hinged-bar 13 as shown.

The closure frame is securely locked in closed position by means of a pair of hooks 17, formed .on the double bar 14, and con-.

tinuous with the bracing parts 15, and said hooks are adapted to engage with the pair of clam ing levers 18, that are pivotally mounte, on the studs 19 of the bar 13. Said clamping levers are formed with edges 20, that operate after the manner of cams or wedges, to force the hook members 17 into the slots 21 of the levers 18 when the frame is securely looked, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Each clamping lever 18 is constructed with a hub 22 Journaled on the pin or stud 19, and a retraction spring 23 is mounted on said hub with its respective ends engaging with the lever, and a screw 24 secured to the pin, and said springs normally act to throw the levers into released position.

The frame structure is shaped to rest and fit comfortably upon the shoulders and chest of the wearer, and the locking levers 18 arev located in a position to be conveniently ma.-

. nipulated by the hands for securing the the same in an easy and closure or releasing operatlon.

quickly performs It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a single bar and a double bar hingedly connected, a projecting member on one of said bars, and a lever pivotally mounted on the other bar, said lever constructed with a cam edge adapted to engage said member to close the single bar between the members of the double bar and having a notch to receive the member and secure said bars in locked relation, substantially as set forth.

2. A device of the character described comprising a double bar, a single bar pivotally mounted between the members of said bar, a projecting member on said double bar, and a lever pivotally mounted on said single bar, said lever constructed with a cam edge adapted to engage the projecting member and close the bars, and having a recess to receive said member and secure the bars in locked relation, substantially as set forth.

3. A device of the character described comprising a double bar, 'a single bar hingedly mounted between the members of said bar, a hook on the double bar, a lever pivotally mounted on the single bar constructed to engage with said hook to close and lock the bars, and a retraction spring associated with said lever, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a life saving suit having an entrance opening therein disposed from shoulder to shoulder and across the chest of the wearer, of a closure for said'opening comprising a pair of bars secured to the suit along the respective edges of said opening, said bars forming a watertight closure with the material of the suit, members projecting from one of said bars, and a pair of levers pivotally mounted on the other bar, said levers constructed to engage said projecting members to draw the bars together and secure the same in locked relation, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at New York, N. Y., this 20th day of September, A. D. nineteen hundred and sixteen.

JAs. B. TAYLOR, H. R. CULBERTsoN. 

